Catching up with offshore alumni

Anthony Kidd: The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

When Anthony Kidd graduated with a Bachelor of Property in 1987, he never dreamed his degree would one day lead him halfway around the world to the stunning Red Sea.

Based in Saudi Arabia for the past two years, Anthony works for Red Sea Global, a real estate development company building one of the world’s largest clusters of hotels. He originally joined the project as a commercial manager looking after contractors’ accommodation and is now head of hotel branded and non-branded rental management for the company. He is also associate director and head of the owners’ associations – akin to body corporates in New Zealand – where he is preparing the legal structures and budgets for mixed-use developments before they open or are handed over to new owners.

Looking back on his time at the University of Auckland, Anthony says his studies provided a great stepping stone into a property industry career that has spanned more than 30 years.

“The degree provided me with a lot of theory,” he says. “And we also had quite a lot of practical interaction with the industry, so it certainly equipped us with the tools to go forth.”

Anthony moved to Saudi Arabia following five years as general manager of NAI Harcourts in Auckland. Prior to that, he’d spent almost a decade working in the United Arab Emirates, mainly in Dubai, so “had a good idea of what to expect when moving to Saudi Arabia”.

The biggest adjustment is being based on-site, in a remote part of the country an hour away from any city. Being surrounded by nature has its perks, though, and in his time off he enjoys walking in the nearby mountains and snorkelling in the pristine Red Sea. With his wife and two teenage daughters still living back in Auckland, however, he says the hardest part of being away is missing his family, although he visits them regularly.

Despite this, he relishes life in the Middle East.

“A change keeps you on your toes and keeps you grounded, so while I do miss some things, I enjoy the challenges and different culture of being in a foreign country,” he says.

“It’s stimulating and exciting.”

Manu Sharma: Mountain View, US

Despite living in the heart of the US tech world, New Zealand is never far from Manu Sharma’s mind.

Manu grew up in India and Canada and moved to New Zealand as a teen, going on to complete a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in 2005 and a Bachelor of Commerce in 2007 at the University of Auckland.

After working in roles around the globe, and earning an MBA from the prestigious MIT, he’s now based in the city of Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he works as a product planner for Google. There he oversees the thermostat and WiFi portfolios for Google’s Nest business, a role that makes the most of his skill set.

“My core focus is people. My main goal is to understand what the various teams I work with want and how I can best respond to that.”

Another passion is golf. After dropping his handicap from 12 to scratch in a couple of years, he now volunteers as a coach for a local college’s team. He also runs a YouTube channel dedicated to the sport, called The Upbeat Golfer.

He says he wouldn’t be where he is today without his studies in New Zealand.
“The University was an incredibly supportive environment,” he says. He credits his engineering degree with “fundamentally changing how I think” and his commerce degree for “giving me an appreciation for the other side of engineering”.

He also fondly remembers his time in the University of Auckland Management Consulting Club (MCC).

“I still use what I learned in the MCC in some of the stuff I do on a daily basis – in terms of how to structure problems and communicate effectively what’s important.”

Just before the pandemic, Manu returned to Auckland to talk with students in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). He also connects annually when CIE students visit Silicon Valley, and he supports MCC and Velocity alumni.

He does miss “the people, the accent and the humour” of New Zealand, however. “I also miss the air and the quiet. It’s a different pace of life that I really like. Every time I land in New Zealand, it’s like my shoulders relax.”

Trudy Parkin: Melbourne, Australia

After receiving a mid-life ADHD diagnosis, Trudy Parkin is now coaching and empowering others with the condition.

Based in Melbourne, where she lives with her husband and two children, Trudy is the founder of Thriving Minds Coaching. As an ADHD life coach, she helps people of all ages navigate the challenges of ADHD and reach their potential.

After graduating from the University of Auckland in 1997 with a Bachelor of Education, Trudy taught in New Zealand and the UK before moving to Melbourne 14 years ago.

Trudy admits she was “terribly homesick” when she initially moved to Auckland from New Plymouth to attend the University. But the city soon became her second home and she made some lifelong friends during her studies.

Her decision to switch careers after 25 years of primary school teaching followed her ADHD diagnosis a few years ago.

“Other than my children, it was honestly the best thing that has ever happened,” she says.

Encouraged to seek support from an ADHD coach, Trudy was astounded at the impact it had. She then dedicated herself to training as a coach before founding Thriving Minds Coaching in January 2023.

Central to her coaching is her belief that self-compassion is key. She now teaches her clients strategies to connect with their brain, be more self-compassionate and reframe their situation in a positive light.

“I want to help people live their best life and make each day lighter and brighter and easier. It’s about them understanding themselves, taking baby steps and setting themselves up for success,” she says.

“If you’ve got these challenges and you think you’ve got ADHD, seek support because the weight it can lift and the awareness it can bring are really life changing.”